OLM Parent Bulletin
Wednesday, May 19th, 2021
Reflection Corner
“Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”
What does it mean to “consecrate” something or someone? Consecration is, of course, a very familiar term within our faith. We speak of the bread and wine being consecrated and becoming the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus our Lord. The consecration of the mere earthly substances of bread and wine transform them into God Himself. Thus, “consecration” is a powerful word.
Another familiar use of this word is in reference to those women who have been called by God to enter religious life so as to dedicate themselves to God as spouses of Christ. They become “Consecrated Religious” through their solemn lifelong vows. They are dedicated, taken out of the world and presented to Christ in a unique way.
Among the laity, there are many who have consecrated themselves to our Blessed Mother, or to the Sacred Heart, or to our divine Lord through some other special form of devotion. In all of these cases, to “consecrate” is to dedicate, set aside and make holy. Another translation for the word “consecrate” above is “sanctify.”
To “Sanctify them in the truth” is to make them holy by the truth. This is Jesus’ prayer in the above-quoted passage. This line comes from Jesus’ beautiful High Priestly Prayer in which He prays to the Father for His disciples and for all who will eventually become His disciples—and that includes you! Jesus’ prayer is not only effective as a prayer, it is also effective as a lesson on holiness. How do we become holy? Simple. We allow the Word of the Father to consecrate us in truth. In other words, we allow God’s holy Word to engage us, challenge us, change us, call us from sin, point us to Heaven and transform every aspect of our lives. God’s Word is the Truth, and we will become holy if we are transformed by this Truth.
In what ways do you need the Truth, spoken by the Father in Heaven, to engage you? What are the truths of our faith that you especially need to know, accept, profess and believe? One of the best ways to answer this question is to commit yourself to an in-depth, prayerful reading of the Word of God. By prayerfully reading the Scriptures, you will open yourself to all that God wants to reveal to you. And as the voice of God speaks to you through His Word, you will be invited to change. His Word will combat the confusion and lies of the world and the evil one and set you upon the path to holiness, to true sanctity and interior consecration.
Reflect, today, upon the transforming power of the Word of God. Reflect upon how fully you have allowed His Word to speak to you, call you out of the world, set you apart for holiness and direct you toward Himself. Engaging the Word of God must become your daily spiritual food, and it must paint for you the picture of your glorious life to which you are called.
My Jesus, Word of the Father, You are Truth Itself. You are the Living Word Who has come to set us free. Give me the grace I need to listen to Your holy voice so that Your Truth will engage me in the depths of my soul, transforming me into the person You have called me to be. I open myself to You, dear Lord, and to all You wish to say to me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Pope's Prayer Intention for May
The World of Finance: Let us pray that those in charge of finance will work with governments to regulate the financial sphere and protect citizens from its dangers.
SLE Focus
May: OLM Students are Responsible Catholic Christian Learners who
● Act with compassion
● Learn about and contribute to community
● Meet academic and behavioral expectations.
It is the Year of Saint Joseph.
St. Joseph, the Husband of Mary
The Bible pays Joseph the highest compliment: he was a “just” man. The quality meant a lot more than faithfulness in paying debts.
When the Bible speaks of God “justifying” someone, it means that God, the all-holy or “righteous” one, so transforms a person that the individual shares somehow in God’s own holiness, and hence it is really “right” for God to love him or her. In other words, God is not playing games, acting as if we were lovable when we are not.
By saying Joseph was “just,” the Bible means that he was one who was completely open to all that God wanted to do for him. He became holy by opening himself totally to God.
The rest we can easily surmise. Think of the kind of love with which he wooed and won Mary, and the depth of the love they shared during their marriage.
It is no contradiction of Joseph’s manly holiness that he decided to divorce Mary when she was found to be with child. The important words of the Bible are that he planned to do this “quietly” because he was “a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame” (Matthew 1:19).
The just man was simply, joyfully, wholeheartedly obedient to God—in marrying Mary, in naming Jesus, in shepherding the precious pair to Egypt, in bringing them to Nazareth, in the undetermined number of years of quiet faith and courage.
Reflection
The Bible tells us nothing of Joseph in the years after the return to Nazareth except the incident of finding Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41–51). Perhaps this can be taken to mean that God wants us to realize that the holiest family was like every other family, that the circumstances of life for the holiest family were like those of every family, so that when Jesus’ mysterious nature began to appear, people couldn’t believe that he came from such humble beginnings: “Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary…?” (Matthew 13:55a). It was almost as indignant as “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46b).
Congratulations to the following Superstars of the Week:
May Crowning
Spirit Day
SY 2021 - 2022 Approved Calendar
Health Screening Questions
It is important for all of us including families of students returning for in-person instruction to answer the following questions before their children are allowed to come on-campus everyday:
1. Within the last 10 days have you been diagnosed with COVID-19 or had a test confirming you have the virus?
2. Within the past 14 days did you live in the same household as, or did you have close contact with, someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and/or someone who has been in isolation for COVID-19? Close contact is less than 6 feet for 15 minutes or more regardless of whether masks were worn or not.
3. Have you had any new or unexplained symptoms since the last symptom check?
In the absence of a more likely diagnosis: At least 1 of the following:
Fever (temperature 100.4° F /38° C or subjective fever)
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Conjunctivitis or “pink eye”
Rash
New loss of taste or smell (i.e., new olfactory or taste disorder)
Painful purple or red lesions on the feet or swelling of the toes (“COVID Toes”)
OR At least 2 of the following:
Chills
Repeated shaking with chills (rigors)
Cough (new or change in baseline)
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing (new or change in baseline)
Chest pain with deep breathing
Sore throat
Hoarseness
Muscle pain (myalgias)
Malaise or severe fatigue
Abdominal pain
Loss of appetite
Nausea
Headache
Before heading to school, be ready to give your answers to the above to our supervising staff members. Thank you!
Updates on Physical Distancing, Quarantining, Travel
Please find below updates on Physical Distancing, Quarantining, Travel, Graduation:
The San Mateo County Office of Education released an updated edition of its Pandemic Recovery Framework, a tool for helping schools reopen and stay open for in-person learning. The updated framework includes and/or links to recent San Mateo County Health and California Department of Public Healthguidance around physical distancing, quarantining, travel, and graduations.
Key updates in the guidance include the following:
- There should be a minimum distance of three feet between students’ chairs. Previously, the recommendation was six feet. A minimum distance of six feet should be maintained between teachers’ desks and students’ desks. All other mitigation layers must be strictly adhered to. When students or staff cannot be masked (e.g., while eating or drinking), a minimum of six feet of distancing must be observed.
Note: At OLM, we continue to maintain six feet of distancing between student chairs until further notice.
- Fully vaccinated individuals (with documentation of COVID-19 vaccination completion submitted to San Mateo County Health) who are identified as a close contact of a positive case of COVID-19 are generally not required to quarantine, but a 14-day symptom-watch period is still required.
- Fully vaccinated individuals are not required to test or quarantine before or after domestic travel unless they have symptoms associated with COVID-19 infection. Fully vaccinated individuals need to complete a COVID-19 test after international travel.
- All students and staff should be screened for symptoms and exposure prior to entering the school campus. In earlier guidance, the focus was on screening and temperature-taking on campus.
At OLM, we continue to take temperature as we do the health screening for students and staff during morning drop-off / at the start of school day. You will be advised should there be changes in our health screening protocol.
- Schools may plan for modified graduations following California Department of Public Health Guidance.
Note: We are currently working on our Graduation plans. Surveys were sent our to families to solicit their input.
Note: Per the California Department of Health:
Non-Essential Travel of unvaccinated persons
- Except in connection with essential travel, Californians should avoid non-essential travel outside of California, to other states or countries unless they are fully vaccinated. Avoiding travel reduces the risk of virus transmission, including by reducing the risk that new sources of infection and, potentially, new virus strains will be introduced to California.
- Non-essential travelers from other states or countries, are strongly discouraged from entering California, and should adhere to the quarantine procedures set forth below.
- Non-essential travelers who are not fully vaccinated should get tested with a viral test 1-3 days before travel, and get tested 3-5 days upon arrival to their destination. They should stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel, even if their test is negative.
- Non-essential travelers who are not fully vaccinated and don't get tested should stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.
San Mateo County local guidance travel advisory is still the same and currently being reviewed.
We will continue to take precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of everyone.Please note that those (unvaccinated) traveling more than 120 miles will be required to self-quarantine for 10 days. Please be guided accordingly.
Service Points
- The Points Auditor has entered the bulk of earned service points into School Speak. Please check your own accounts for accuracy.
- If you are missing points, please send an email to the Points Auditor (pointsauditor@olmbulldogs.com) and copy Kathleen Reburiano (ptopresident2021@olmbulldogs.com) and Mr. Burgos (principal@olmbulldogs.com).
- Be sure to list the event/service, date earned, and amount of points you expected to see. Doing this expedites our research.
- Please note that we are still working on points from Teacher Appreciation Week, this weekend's Drive & Dine Mother's Day event, and Scrip. Our goal is to have those points updated by 5/18.
- We will award points for the Scrip 101 Meeting on 5/12 and Round Table on 5/26 shortly after completion. Thanks for your continued patience!
- If you are still short of meeting your end of year obligation, please reach out to Mr. Burgos (principal@olmbulldogs.com) ASAP but no later than 5/31 so we can find ways to help you.
Volunteers needed for our End of the Year Preschool, Kinder, and eighth grade Celebrations: If you still need service points or would just want to help out, please let the office know as soon as possible. Thank you!
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2021 will occur on Monday, May 31.
Round Table Pizza Fundraiser (2 pts/family max)
Join us for our last fundraiser of the year! Place your order for pizza anytime from 10:30 AM - 10:00 PM on Wed 5/26 @ Round Table Pizza in Colma (near the Target Greatland). Please follow the instructions in the flyer depending on your preferred method for ordering. To receive your 2 points, please complete the form by 5 pm on May 31 -- https://forms.gle/6SmKULAm9GCfSve69
We are now accepting applications for School Year 2021 - 2022. Click on the link below for our virtual school tour for those interested to apply at our school. Please share.
Click on the following calendars.
Our Lady of Mercy School
Email: office@olmbulldogs.com
Website: www.olmbulldogs.com
Location: 7 Elmwood Drive, Daly City, CA, USA
Phone: (650)756-3395